1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of paperboard disposable cat litter boxes, and particularly to a structural addition for folding the disposable cat box smaller for packaging in order to stock a multitude of folded boxes onto a small area of retail shelf space.
2) Description of Prior Art
Cleaning conventional, re-usable cat boxes, or cleaning the attachments of automatic cleaning cat boxes continues to be a dirty, messy, and smelly task. To eliminate this unpleasant duty, many inventors have been awarded hundreds of patents for disposable cat litter holding means such as boxes, or trays, or the like, for the sanitary needs of cats where the pet owner can merely throw the entire used disposable cat litter holding means away, and open up a new one. Many pet owners would prefer that the disposable holding means be made of a recycled and biodegradable paperboard material for ecological benefits. However, only a few of the hundreds of patented disposable cat litter holding means are marketed on store shelves for sale to those pet owners who would prefer the ease and convenience of not having to clean a conventional re-usable cat box, or to clean the attachments of automatic cleaning cat boxes.
Past concepts of utility design for a multitude of patented disposable cat litter holding means such as a box, or tray, or the like, have created mass merchandising retail marketing problems for stocking these holding means onto allotted, precious and costly retail shelf space. One problem is that most of the folded holding means are sold containing cat litter, or a cat litter substitute, requiring some to have a folded packaged physical size of approximately 50% of the size of a fully erected holding means. These disposable holding means are not designed for stocking a multitude of holding means onto a square foot of retail shelf space, because their large packaged size restricts the stores to only be able to put a few on the shelf, requiring store personnel to re-stock the shelf more often at an additional cost to the retail store. Another problem is their large packaged size prevents the stores from making more income retailing additional products on the shelf. Another problem is the folded disposable holding means are too large to be inserted or carried in a standard supermarket size shopping bag, making it inconvenient and cumbersome for the shopper to have to handle them separately.
To overcome the problem of only being able to stock a few disposable cat litter holding means onto a retail shelf space, two styles of disposable holding means that are currently being marketed in the stores are a full size erected molded tray manufactured in a paper type product, and a full size erected plastic injected molded tray.
Both types of trays have opposing vertical end walls and opposing vertical side walls that are tapered outward from their integral horizontal bottom panel or bottom wall to the top of their end walls and side walls permitting the trays to be nested, one tray inside another tray. This permits the store personnel to stack a reasonable number of nested trays on the shelf at one time for sale, and reduces the amount of times the shelf has to be re-stocked. U.S. Pat. No. 4,716,853 to d'Aniello, Jan. 5, 1988, illustrates the plastic injection molded tray and U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,652 to Dobrin et al, Dec. 22, 1992, illustrates the molded paper product tray. However, these packaged molded trays are fully erected and too large to fit a multitude of trays onto one square foot of retail shelf space, and are too large to be inserted or carried in a standard supermarket size plastic shopping bag, making them inconvenient and cumbersome for the shopper to handle separately.
When we examine patents of disposable cat litter holding means that are folded smaller than their full erected size for stocking on retail shelf space, and are not sold containing cat litter or a cat litter substitute within the folded holding means, and are manufactured from a one-piece, integral, flat, die-cut and fold-line creased paperboard blank, I am not aware of existing prior art that uses a combination structural addition for folding the disposable holding means in both directions, so that when completely folded by combining with the preceding prior art folds, enables a multitude of folded holding means to be stocked onto a square foot of retail shelf space, or for the folded holding means to be inserted or carried in a standard supermarket size shopping bag.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,684,155 to Smith “Collapsible Sanitary Container and Container Liner” shows a one-piece, integral, die-cut and fold-line creased paperboard blank manufactured and assembled into a collapsible container where the opposing end walls transversal fold-line creases are located where the horizontal bottom means such as a bottom panel or bottom wall is attached to the opposing end walls and where the opposing side walls longitudinal fold-line creases are located where the horizontal bottom means is attached to the opposing side walls and where diagonal fold-line creases on the opposing corner end wall flaps that are secured with an adhesive to the opposing adjacent side walls enable the opposing side walls and opposing end walls to be folded inwardly for an extended length, over and parallel to the bottom means such as a bottom panel or bottom wall for a smaller folded size. In addition, the patent has two transversal fold-line creases across the entire width of the blank and located in the center, or approximate center of the blank to enable the folded collapsed container to be folded in-half longitudinally to make the folded collapsed container smaller for packaging. However, drawing FIGS. 3 and 5 of the patent illustrate there are no reductions of the width size of the bottom means in the folded collapsed container, because the patent does not fold the holding means in both directions for much smaller folded dimensions. Understanding, a horizontal bottom means should be at least 15.5″ wide across the bottom to handle most sizes of cats, the folded holding means width would require too much retail shelf space and also be unable to be inserted or carried in a standard supermarket size shopping bag making it inconvenient and cumbersome for the shopper to carry the holding means separately.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,544 to Noonan “Disposable Cat Litter Holding Means” shows the one-piece, integral, die-cut and fold-line creased paperboard blank where opposing upper end wall members including their attached securing means are hinged by transversal fold-line creases to the upper opposing end walls and where the lower opposing end walls are hinged by transversal fold-line creases to the ends of the horizontal bottom means. The opposing upper side wall members including their integral securing means are hinged by longitudinal fold-line creases to the upper opposing side walls and the lower opposing side walls are hinged by longitudinal fold-lines creases to the sides of the horizontal bottom means. The opposing corner end wall flaps including their securing means are hinged by transversal fold-line creases to the ends of the opposing side walls. The die-cut means located between the opposing corner end wall flaps and the opposing end walls and opposing upper end wall members separates the opposing corner end wall flaps from the opposing end walls and opposing upper end wall members. These die-cut means along with the transversal and longitudinal fold-line creases enable the paperboard blank to be folded smaller for packaging.
However, the folded holding means does not reduce either the width or the length of the horizontal bottom means of the blank requiring too much retail shelf space for the folded holding means, and the folded holding means is too large to be inserted or carried in a standard supermarket size shopping bag making it inconvenient and cumbersome for the shopper to have to carry the holding means separately.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,115,766 to Williams “Disposable Litter Box” uses two or three separate die-cut and fold-line creased paperboard embodiments to erect one non-integral disposable cat litter holding means such as a litter box. In drawing FIGS. 1, 2, 3 & 4, of the patent, the die-cut and creased paperboard's opposing end walls and attached end wall stiffeners, and the opposing side walls and attached side wall stiffeners use longitudinal fold-line creases in the longitudinal center of each end wall and each integral end wall stiffener, and transversal fold-line creases in the center of each side wall and each integral side wall stiffener in order to fold the end walls and integral end wall stiffeners, side walls and integral side wall stiffeners smaller for packaging as illustrated in drawing FIGS. 8, 11, 12 & 14 of the patent. In drawing FIG. 10, the patent shows an embodiment with a separate bottom panel that has a longitudinal fold-line crease in the center of the bottom panel intersecting in the center of the bottom panel with a transversal fold-line crease in order to fold the bottom panel smaller for packaging as illustrated in drawing FIG. 13. Also, in drawing FIG. 10, the patent shows another embodiment comprising a die-cut and fold-line creased outer side wall and end wall support assembly fitted around the periphery of the plastic bag to confine the plastic bag wrap around the periphery of the inner side wall and end wall assembly. The separate end wall and side wall support assembly also has a longitudinal fold-line crease in the center of each end wall and a transversal fold-line increase in the center of each side wall in order to fold the opposing end walls and opposing side walls smaller for packaging. However, the patent requires folding two or three embodiments comprising separate die-cut and fold-line creased paperboard blanks to form one non-integral disposable cat litter holding means such as a box, which will require more retail shelf space.
In conclusion, insofar as I am aware the present invention provides a means for overcoming these prior art difficulties.